Saving feral cats, a two-sided story with a bite

Lakehills resident Charity trapped a feral cat at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, Jan. 14, intending to transport it to a veterinary clinic for shots and neutering.

[SHADOW]

Lets see, a stupid woman tries to handle a feral cat in a trap and everyone is suprised she was bitten.
If you want a laugh read the last part of that story and see how Conrad Nighrengale feels about cats. A vet who hates dogs and cats. His bedside manner was gone long ago.
Feral cats don't normally prey on "song birds" but the good doctor Nightengasle will spew that story like he knew what he was talking about.
Trap Nueter and Release works well all over the country, Nightengale can't bring himself to read anything positive about cats ot TNR.
This is the Bandera County Rabies Control Officer since the earily seventies. His facility is the rabies quarantine, he has the last word on quarantine and when we had a recent mauling Nightengale allowed the three dogs involved to be moved out of Bandera County to a vet in Boerne who told me they are not a rabies quarantine but they were the employeer of the woman who owned the dogs. The dogs were transfered to Kerrville and then almost a week after the attack the animals were transfered back to Bandera where Nightengale killed them for rabies check.
The man probably should be prosecuted and go to jail.

[stargazer60]

I am out in Lake Medina Shores.. We have a ferral cat problem. I rescued one two years ago. However the cats around here just keep multiplying. My husband says they gather up here because there is a dumpster across the street. I have called several places and ask for someone to come out and trap these cats. I would even try myself if I had the traps but I can't afford to take them and pay to have them nutered and spayed. The last time I spoke to the person in charge at the Bornie Animal league I was told they are going to stop taking cats becasue they had so many. That has been some months ago now.

I am not a cat hater or a cat lover. I love the one I own and our dog..LOL But I am begining to hate these strays. They are all over the place and birth control is not THEIR number one concern.
The law that makes a person a owner if they feed a stray cat is about as stupid as a lot of other things that are laws. Made by someone with too much time on their hands.
I am sorry if I am not politically correct but I say they need to kill at least some of these strays. Maybe they will become more concerned after people start getting rabies from bits.
At least when we lived in the country in Louisiana and had a wild animal around the place we could shoot it. With out some bleeding heart yelling about the rights of the stray starving and often sick strays.

[SHADOW]

Instead of calling Boerne which is in another county why not call your own animal control????
Bandera County refuses to pick up cats because they have no holding facility for cats or dogs for that matter. Where were you when Bandera County discontinued their contract with the Cowboy Capitol Pet Assistance League? Bandera County used to pick up all the cats they could find when CCPAL took care of them. Bandera County decided they didn't need CCPAL that cost them about $16,000 a year to handle animal control so they broke their signed contract with CCPAL and took animal control over and now spend about $80,000 in salary alone for two animal control officers and some $40,000 a year for an animal control liaison, a made up position no other county has to run interference for the Sheriff and they can't get the job done.
If calling the county doesn't work, and it probably won't, call Animal Welfare Society of Bandera, they are active in Trap Nueter and Release in Bandera and if they can they will help you.
Cats are not vector animals for rabies. Those scare tactics will not work. Shooting free roaming cats only open a spot in the colony which is quickly filled by another cat. When these colonies are managed with spay and nueter the "birth control" you speak of begins to work.
The bleeding hearts and study groups have dedicated many years of research into the free roaming cat populations and know what works. You can't kill the cats fast enough to make a difference not to mention being illegal in subdivisions. There are many good humane ways to manage these colonies that actually do work.
You must have a computer or access to one so google feral cats or any number of sites such as Alley Cat Allies and begin to understand the problem and skills needed to manage these cats humanely.
I don't blame you for being up set but don't take it out on the cats, go to the next Commissioner's Court meeting and give them hell after all they are the ones who broke their contract with CCPAL and now they can't adress the animal problems.
They made a huge mistake and now you are going to pay for it. Call your commissioner now!

[4paws123]

There have been several TNR meetings in the county of Bandera - all anyone had to do was attend one and the cost of spay/neuter along with a rabies shot (all done at HCAL in Boerne) is only $20. There's also ways of getting your neighbors to help with this cost. A lot of folks want to complain but do nothing to help stop the reproduction process. The avenues are there and advertised - just call and get the information you need!!!